HydroGenuine - Open source track and trace platform with green energy use-case on Cardano

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Gabriel von Roda

[GENERAL] Are you delivering this project as an individual or as an entity (whether formally incorporated or not)

Entity (Incorporated)

[GENERAL] Requested funds in ada

200000

[GENERAL] Please specify how many months you expect your project to last (from 2-12 months)

12

[GENERAL] Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated into English from another language

No

[GENERAL] Summarize your solution to the problem (200-character limit including spaces)

An open source electricity track and trace protocol build on Cardano for RWA with a green hydrogen use case.

[GENERAL] Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

No

[GENERAL] If YES, please describe what the dependency is and why you believe it is essential for your project’s delivery. If NO, please write “No dependencies.”

N/A

[GENERAL] Will your project’s output/s be fully open source?

Yes

[GENERAL] Please provide here more information on the open source status of your project outputs

The code developed under the scope of this project will be open source. This includes the front end of the blockchain platform, the back end of the blockchain platform, and the blockchain platform code for the registration of the electricity flow and the hydrogen production including its hashing mechanism on the Cardano Blockchain.

The project will train African distributed ledger developers in an open-source and sustainability context. 

[METADATA] SDG rating

SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy

SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth 

SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities 

SDG 13: Climate Action

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

The problem: We need tooling to immutably track and trace green energy production, such as green hydrogen. The problem is the difficulty in distinguishing ‘green’ hydrogen in the marketplace. Although hydrogen can be produced using electricity from any source and remains chemically the same, it is vital for sustainable development that it is produced from renewable sources. Using non-renewable sources like fossil fuels (‘grey hydrogen’) on a large scale would have severe negative impacts on the climate. Thus, for hydrogen to be a viable green energy solution, clear differentiation between renewable and non-renewable production is essential.

The solution: 

The proposed solution is centred around a software and blockchain database prototype, originally developed by us for managing a solar mini-grid and an electric vehicle rental system in Ghana. This previous prototype collects crucial data on electricity production and usage from devices within the mini-grid. A significant feature of this system is the integration of electric vehicles ensuring that the vehicles are powered exclusively by solar energy.

Originally building on the Hyperledger Fabric blockchain, the decision is to shift our development to the Cardano Blockchain and to develop an open-source tool that tracks and traces green hydrogen production on the Cardano Blockchain. The tool can be used by any grid operator afterwards, who wants to track and trace green hydrogen production. We expand our previous concept work and build a full-fledged application that verifies green hydrogen and certifies produced batches for Cardano. This platform will initially be piloted at Don Bosco Technical Institute, a vocational training center in Tema, Ghana. 

At this location, Don Bosco has been installing a complex 164 kWp solar mini-grid for education and research purposes, which has been fully digitalized by Green Power Brains. In 2024, Green Power Brains is implementing a solar to hydrogen electrolysis and fuel cell pilot plant on the site. Innofund and Green Power Brains aim to build an open source tool on Cardano to batch certify and trace energy to authenticate green hydrogen production in this plant. Together with Wada, we are going to train and educate Ghanaian Blockchain developers.  

According to the OECD: “Green hydrogen, produced using clean energy sources like renewable power, can contribute to the transition to a low-carbon economy and decarbonise various end-use sectors. [...] at least two-thirds of the global hydrogen production is projected to originate from renewable power (“green hydrogen”) by 2050, supporting the transition to a net-zero emissions global energy system.”

[IMPACT] Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community

• Renewable Energy Impact use case on Cardano Blockchain 
• Open-source IOT & RWA and Cardano Blockchain use case in the red hot H2 space 
• Cardano impact working for sustainable development in Africa
• Technology can be adapted to other green energy sectors and by the Cardano community, as it is open-source. This pilot serves as an innovative model of how blockchain can contribute to more sustainable energy production and consumption 
• Project is not just a use case (IOT/ Blockchain) BUT also a training and education opportunity in Ghana via Don Bosco Technical Institute and Wada - training Africans on digitization with the help of blockchain technologies. 

[CAPABILITY & FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

The consortium of Innofund and Green Power Brains bring together all the necessary team members and experience to make this project a success. 

Innofund.io is the blockchain software house behind several SDG-focused blockchain projects, including crowdfunding and grant management platform Cashdillo. The Innofund team has the proven track record to build blockchain solutions for use by international development agencies such as UNDP.

Green Power Brains (GPB) is a German renewable energy installation and capacity building company, which specialises in solar mini-grids in Africa. GPB’s projects are being supported by the German (Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Customer Protection) and Swiss (Renewable Energy, Energy and Resource Efficiency Promotion in International Cooperation (REPIC)) governments.

The pilot in Ghana

The operational solar mini-grid (164 kWp) that we will utilise for validating our approach is currently in operation. It supplies over 95% of the energy consumed by the vocational training centre in Tema, Ghana. The mini-grid consists of six independent PV power systems: components from different manufacturers and different technologies (e.g. lithium-ion, LFP and sodium batteries) are installed, which makes the mini-grid one of the most complex systems in the whole of Africa, serving as a research and teaching ecosystem. The expansion of the mini-grid to include a hydrogen plant consisting of an electrolyser (engineered by https://ohs.energy/) and fuel cell (engineered by https://www.sfc.com/) is planned for September 2024. By this time we aim to have the IOT sensors ready and a blockchain application should be in development too. As the installations are already financed by different sources such as the German Federal Ministry of the Environment, it is an ideal playground to build and validate an MVP.

Our partner Wada in Ghana is a key Project Catalyst partner on the ground, helping the team with domestic developer resources and support. We are partnering with Wada because we share a common vision of a more sustainable future. Wada's strong presence in Africa will provide project-based learning and will help to scale the outcome of this initiative throughout the continent. They offer a safe space with uninterrupted electricity and access to data and education, serving as a foundation for education, employment and further adoption of the project on the Cardano Blockchain. To solidify our partnership, we met at their hub in Accra, Ghana in April, where we consolidated our collaborative efforts.

At the same time Innofund and Green Power Brains will use the project to assist Wada in their mission to educate and capacity-build open-source applications on the Cardano Blockchain and DLT in Ghana and other countries in Africa.

[PROJECT MILESTONES] What are the key milestones you need to achieve in order to complete your project successfully?

The whole project is a 12 month commitment to plan, test, deploy, use, and report on four key milestones: 

Milestone 1

Title: Technical & Business Case Research for Deployment on Cardano

Outputs

Milestone 1 includes the following key activities:

• Conduct research on technical aspects of the project and plan the open-source architecture 
• Define technical scope: IOT and data collection system, IOT/ Blockchain interaction, UI/UX customer (track and trace), UI/UX backend (real time monitoring of solar use in green hydrogen production). 
• Develop a detailed plan of action for the project (technical and business implementation)
• Draft a technical and business implementation report summarizing the findings above.
• Wireframes and system architecture plan for (any) new UI/UX Prototype design in Figma - production ready stage in Figma
• Onboard Wada developers and define their support roles and learning content. 

Acceptance criteria

The technical and business implementation report is finalized and published on Notion. It is accessible for community review. The report includes the following content:

• Technical aspects of the project 
• Detailed business implementation action plans for the project, incl proposals of Cardano ecosystem and technical partners
• Full outline of wireframes in Figma and systems architecture plan is published for open-source consumption (GitHub etc)
• Wada site visit in Tema, Ghana

Evidence of Milestone completion

Community members can access the report on Notion to find the following content:

• Technical aspects of the project 
• Detailed business implementation action plans for the project & on proposed technical partnerships
• Figma video walk through of wireframes and detailed systems architecture plan
• The Figma file will be published and made available to community in open source environment

Expected timeline for the delivery

2 months 

Title: Build, Test, Self-Audit, Report

Outputs

Milestone 2 includes the following key activities:

• Based on Milestone 1 report: build an MVP platform on Cardano testnet(s):
• - front end
• - back end
• - blockchain development
• - full Q&A and testing
• - Self audit security through bug bounty programme
• - testnet deployment 
• Adaptation of the technical data collection for the IOT devices from the renewable energy and hydrogen system (e.g. solar charge controllers, inverters, electrolyser, fuel cell)
• Provision of the interface between components of the renewable energy and hydrogen system and a MVP platform
• Conduct partner usability (UI/UX) feedback study with Don Bosco Technical Institute and write report 

Acceptance criteria

• The internally tested MVP is finalised and live on testnet. It and its code is accessible to the community for review and open-source use. 
• IOT devices and data collection from the renewable energy and hydrogen system are fully customised and designed for the tested application 
• A technical report and the open-source code is published 
• A product feedback and usability test report with Don Bosco Technical Institute as key user is published. 
• Wada receives documentation material for training purposes.

Evidence of Milestone Completion

Community members can access the report on Notion to find the following content:

• A technical report on bug bounty program and tests
• A product feedback and usability test report with Don Bosco Technical Institute as key user is published.
• Open -source code is published 

The MVP is finalised and live on testnet. It and the code is accessible to the community for review.

Expected timeline for the delivery

5 months 

Milestone 3

Title: Deploy on Mainnet and test in Real World Use Case in Ghana

1. Deploy on Mainnet 
2. Pilot project with Don Bosco Technical Institute in Ghana
3. Hold AMAs to explore partnerships in Cardano Community and Ecosystem; present project and findings at H2 industry event(s) in Ghana and/or Germany

Outputs and deliverables

Milestone 3 includes the following key activities:

• Deploy fully tested MVP on Mainnet
• Pilot report on deployment in Ghana at Don Bosco Technical Institute
• Community and industry outreach initiatives to promote product and on-chain grant making

Acceptance criteria

• Product is fully deployed and live on Mainnet 
• Don Bosco Technical Institute is using the product 
• Community members can view the source code features on GitHub (open source part)
• Report on community and product promotion activities

Evidence of Milestone Completion

• Product is accessible to community and wider industry on Mainnet and code can be viewed 
• Evidence report of Don Bosco Technical Institute using the product 
• Community members can view the source code he features on GitHub (open source)
• Report published on notion outlining community outreach and industry product promotion activities

Expected timeline for the delivery

3 Months

Final Milestone

Title: Close-out report to community

Outputs

Final Milestone involves the following key activities:

• Draft a project close-out report and open github repository 
• Record a close-out video of the platform & interviews with developers and Don Bosco Technical Institute key users
• Marketing materials for use in other H2 plants 
• Managed PR & Joint press releases with Cardano, Innofund, Green Power Brains, and Don Bosco Technical Institute

These steps will produce the following deliverables:

• Close-out report
• Publishing of code 
• Close-out video
• Marketing materials 
• Press releases 

Acceptance criteria

Available for the community to review: 

• Project close-out report
• Project close-out video
• Marketing materials 
• press releases

Evidence of Milestone completion

• Community members can access and review the project open-source code and close-out report.
• The project close-out video is published on YouTube for the community to review.
• Marketing materials are published 
• Press Release is published

Expected timeline for the delivery

2 Months

[RESOURCES] Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

Michele Velenderic, CEO

Michele is founder and CEO of Green Power Brains in Munich, Germany and Green Power Brains Ltd. in Tema, Ghana. He brings in 15+ years experience in the IT sector and 10+ years in the renewable energy sector, also as lecturer and trainer building capacity in Europe and Africa.

Gabriel von Roda, Strategy, Business/Blockchain Product

Gabriel is a co-founder of Innofund and brings two decades of experience working for startups on go-to-market and product launch strategies in Europe, the USA, South America and East Asia.

Dr. Sebastian Finke, Business Development and Sustainability

Sebastian is an expert in sustainability with 15+ years experience in various sectors and organisations, including a top-tier consulting company, a car manufacturer and a research institution.

Hermann Straßberger, Hardware and Software Development

Hermann is a technical developer with diverse experience in the development of hardware and software for renewable energy applications within several publicly funded projects, complemented by practical on-site experience in Africa.

Martin Fortkort, Project Manager

Martin has a background in sustainable development with a focus on renewable energy and sustainable mobility, bringing in experience in public affairs, research and innovation projects.

Alex Macbeth, Strategy, Project Manager

Alex is the co-founder of Innofund and brings 15 years of experience working for aid agencies in Africa and Central Asia, media outlets and startups across five continents. He speaks seven languages. 

Dan Shephard, CTO

Dan came across computers in the 1980s. He was soon dismantling and reassembling them and studied computer science. In the last 30 years he has focused on software, working as a senior developer for medical institutes, messenger apps and augmented reality art projects. 

Chahat Bhateja, Chief Smart Contract Engineer

Chahat is a smart contract engineer with experience working in half a dozen blockchain ecosystems, including Algorand and Cardano.

Vikash Saini, Head of UI/UX

Vikash brings a decade of experience working on apps and frontend development. He is currently the lead designer with Webmob Solutions. 

Amit Walia, Senior Full Tech Stack Developer 

Amit has overseen dozens of small and large projects in the tech space as a senior developer and project manager  

[BUDGET & COSTS] Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

Milestone 1: 60,000 ADA

Scoping and in-person meetings with travel, project initiation and activation:

Innofund: ADA10,000

GPB: ADA10,000

Wada: ADA5,000

Product planning and drafting of architecture and Figma design with key-user feedback / tech team salaries:

Innofund: ADA12,500

Drafting of IOT and interface architecture - tech team salaries: 

GPB: ADA12,500

Reporting and management team salaries:

Innofund: ADA5,000

GPB: ADA5,000

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Milestone 2: 90,000 ADA

MVP development (ready for testnet) - team salaries:

Innofund: ADA25,000

IOT and data collection customisation - team salaries:

GPB: ADA15,000

Don Bosco Technical Institute product installation, testing and report (incl travel):

GPB: ADA30,000

Innofund: ADA20,000

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Milestone 3: 35,000 ADA

Deployment salaries on Mainnet and maintenance fees (server, hosting, salaries etc): 

Innofund: ADA15,000

Pilot project implementation with Don Bosco Technical Institute 

GPB:ADA10,000

Industry promotion & marketing and outreach event attendance: 

Innofund: ADA5,000

GPB: ADA5,000

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Final Milestone: 15,000 ADA

Reporting and final video production (travel & management salaries):

GPB: ADA7,500

Innofund: ADA7,500

TOTAL: 200,000 ADA 

[VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

The value proposition consists of several factors:

1.) The most expensive part for the project to succeed (the solar mini-grid and H2 infrastructure, > €500,000) have been financed by other parties and are operative or being installed. 

2.) The Cardano Blockchain ecosystem will get open-source blockchain and algorithmic code measuring the IOT’s electric flow and its hashing / recording on chain. 

3.) By working with Wada, an African Project Catalyst partner, this project supports previously successful Project Catalyst blockchain initiatives in Ghana. 

4.) The project brings real world use case applications to the Cardano blockchain.

5.) The project contributes to Cardano Blockchain capacity building in Ghana.